Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-11-24
A VERITABlE UEECH.

The Saloon Business rs Well as a Moral
Curse to the Community-An Evil Tree,
the Fruits of Which Are Only Evil.
The leech is only valuable in medical
practice because of his peculiar excel
lence rs 4 blood-sucker. When any
part of the body is suffering from en-
gorgement, and a leech is applied, the
disgusting little animal fastcns himself
firmly to the flesh and sucks until he is
filled with blood. There is II striking
similarity between the leech and the
saloon. Both are unexcelled blood
suckers. The one deplctes the circu-
lation in the body, the other the mon
etary circulation. The only particu-
lar difference is. that the leech drops
off when he is flied with blood, but
the saloon does not. Let it get its
clutches upon man, and it never lets
90 its hold until the man is dead or is
bcggared.
AS the leech depletcs the circulation
of the patient, so does the saloon de-
plete the amount of money in circula-
ton in i community. it is not only
moral curse to the city, or town or
hamlet in which it established, but it is
Il business curse. 1t decreases the to-
tai amount of money in circulation,
reduces the business done by every es-
Enlistment engaged in legitimate
trade. and draws the money from that
locality, making the total amount in
circulation therein much less Look
at it a moment. What part of the
money which is paid in over the
bar goes out again into circulation
in the town? Just enough to sup
port the saloonist and his family.
The remainder, less the saloonist's net
profit, goes to the distillcrs and brew
ers. Beyond the small proportion of
the total income. which goes for his
support, not dollar of 1t goes into
general circulation in the town, to
build up trade, to employ labor, or in
any other way to add to the wealth
and prosperity of the community.
The money is paid over the bar and
no equivalent is rendered. The rum
ruins health destroys talent, fosters
idlencss and vice. and there is no
tangible good resulting from it. The
man who spends the money would be
better off if he got absolutely nothing
in return for his cash than the Internal
swill which he pours down his throat
to umbrute him. Suppose that the
who'e of his money were spent in the
erection of new homes each year. The
major part of it would still be circu-
lating from hand to hand; FOR it would
be paid out for brick and stone, for
lumber. for carpenters, masons, plast-
erers. rooferS. painters. GLACIERS. paper
hangers, etc. it would be kept in the
town. kept circulating. and at the same
time the valuation of real-cstate would
10 enhanced by thousands of dollars
worth of !etterments. The money
would have gone back into the hands
Of the laboring men of the place. Con-
trast this with the money when it is
paid over the counter of the saloon.
1t has added nothing to the wealth,
comfort or well-beiny of the unfortun-
ate men who spent it, but the contrary;
it has added no new value to the town:
it has not increased the Improvements
to the city. nos has it gone back into
the local channels of trade. beyond the
sum required for the support of those
who sell the liquors. The greater por-
ton has gone to swell the purse of the
Rum Power. and the only thing it has
done for the community is to increase
the amount Of poverty, woe, wretched-
ness and vice.
1t is plain to any one who gives a
moments thought to the matter that
the saloons are veritable money-leeches.
They suck the money of the laboring
men to whom they give no equivalent
take it out of the business of the COM
munity and send it away to the distil-